Antonio Conte Wants to Sign ‘World-Class’ Liverpool Star in January

Napoli are the latest club to show interest in signing Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, whose days at Anfield are seemingly numbered, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.net.

Nunez came off the bench and scored a crucial brace in the Reds’ 2-0 win over Brentford to continue their assault on the Premier League title. It was one of the very few outings enjoyed by the Uruguayan striker in a frustrating season having lost his place in Arne Slot’s team, starting seven of 16 Premier League games.

Slot’s predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, was eager to sign Nunez in the summer of 2022, even against the wishes of the recruitment staff at Anfield. The 25-year-old arrived from Liga Portugal club Benfica in a club-record £85 million deal – his impressive goalscoring exploits with the Portuguese outfit didn’t follow him to Merseyside, and he could be sold after falling behind Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo in the pecking order.

Napoli Enter The Race To Sign Liverpool’s Nunez

The Serie A Title Challengers Have Money To Spend From Kvaratskhelia Sale

Napoli have joined the queue for Nunez, who Guillem Balague has previously described as “becoming world-class”, and could swoop for the Liverpool striker to give Antonio Conte more firepower in his side’s Serie A title challenge. Gli Azzurri sit top after 21 games, with a three-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan, who have a game in hand. Conte used the Premier League market last summer to good effect.

Scott McTominay arrived from Manchester United, and the Scottish midfielder has been somewhat of a revelation at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium alongside Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who was signed from Chelsea. Billy Gilmour also headed to Naples from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Nunez may be inspired to follow in their footsteps, with McTominay and Lukaku becoming standout performers in Serie A.

Conte is said to have identified Nunez as the perfect option to continue propelling Napoli towards the Italian title. He wants to turn to the powerful frontman following the departure of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who left for Paris Saint-Germain earlier this window for €70 million (£59 million) and could use funds made from the sale to seal a deal for the Uruguayan.

Liverpool aren’t going to let Nunez go cheaply and are in a strong position to sell the forward for a decent price because there is also reported interest from the Saudi Pro League. Reports suggest the Reds turned down a £70 million offer from Saudi giants Al-Hilal earlier this month for the 33-cap Uruguay international with over three years left on his contract.

All statistics courtesy of SofaScore – correct as of 24/01/2025.

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